The present invention relates to mops, more especially (but not exclusively) to mops which are suitable for domestic cleaning purposes.
Various types of mop are available for domestic cleaning. They all comprise a stick-like handle to which some form of cleaning head is attached. In one particular type of mop (commonly known as a strip mop), the head comprises strips of an absorbent material typically about 20 cms long. In a known type of strip mop, intended for use as a floor mop, the strips are secured in a hemispherical holder (usually formed from a plastics material) which has a cylindrical, recessed, extension into which the mop handle can be fitted. Strip mops of that type are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,224 and EP-A-0 537 963. When the strips become worn, the whole head (comprising the strips and the hemispherical holder) is disposed of and replaced by a new one. Such replacement heads, because of their shape, are comparatively awkward to package and handle, giving rise to problems and increased costs associated with storage and transportation. In addition, disposal of a worn head requires disposal not only of the strip material but also of the holder in which the strips are secured and which, often, will not be worn. The disposal of an entire item in that way, particularly one which is composed of mixed materials, is undesirable on environmental grounds.
A similar type of mop, which has textile strands instead of strips, is described in GB-A-2 255 712.
A known mop for industrial cleaning has a head which comprises an assembly of heavy-weight cotton strings held together by a strip of material to which the strings are secured by stitching. The string assembly is clamped in a holder at one end of the mop handle and can be removed and replaced when it becomes worn. Another known mop of that type is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,531,251. Similar assemblies formed from non-woven fabrics instead of cotton strings have also been proposed, and one is described in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,224.
There is also known, from FR-A-943 666, a cleaning brush having a replaceable head which is formed by a plurality of pieces of fabric The fabric pieces are held in place, at one end of the handle of the brush, by a rod which extends lengthwise of the handle and is secured at the other end.
Another type of mop for domestic cleaning (commonly known as a sponge mop) has a cleaning head which comprises a rectangular piece of sponge material and, with some mops of that type, it is only the sponge material that needs to be replaced. The sponge material may, for example, be releasably-held by clips on a rectangular backing which forms a permanent part of the mop. Alternatively, in a known mop for cleaning windows, the sponge material is releasably-held in a pair of clamping jaws which form a permanent part of the mop.
From the point of view of a user, a strip mop has the advantage that, after it has been used for washing a surface, it can be rinsed and wrung out very effectively and used to dry the surface that has just been washed. The same degree of cleanliness and dryness is often difficult to achieve with other forms of mop, and especially with sponge mops.